Author – Christi Snow
Publisher – CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Genre – Romance Suspense
Source – Review Copy for Blog Tour
Pages – 302
This isn’t my usual MO for my book blog, and so far I have been reviewing YA and the occasional Erotica, but the look of these books and book tour would make you blush. The description of Christi’s debut novel was definitely in my league. The relationship of the characters and the military involvement was a very new and fresh aspect that I have not read before. The use of both of these complemented each other and the consistency of the depth of the theme worked extremely well.
Cassie, Chris and Jake have been friends for 20 years and when Cassie has been having dream, nightmares that connect to her brother Chris and she knew something was wrong before the knock at the door. When her best friend delivered the news that her brother; Chris had die in a crash, she was shattered. Jake became her guidance into reality… One night she was Jake took a moment of true happiness and left suddenly afterwards.
6 months has passed. Jake had felt guilty for taking advantage of Cassie, though neither of them knew each other’s true feelings. Jake returned after, Colton, Cassie’s brother asked him too. Cassie herself has been distant and on edge since she has had a stalker on her trail… There are untold secrets that lie ahead… Not only is her life on the line but has Cassie kept her friends close and enemies even closer?
Cassie the protagonist of the novel is a Military History Professor; she is the twin of Chris and has an older brother; Colton. Cassie has had the most wonderful, fun, loving and successful life until it all shatters… Her life falls apart, she becomes distant… but she has Jake. Cassie is a very strong character, driven and focused in what she wants. She’s smart and successful and she sticks to the Status Quo of her life. Her love conquers all!
Jake Madsen has been friends with Cassie and her twin; Chris for 20 years ever since he was hiding in a tree in their back garden. He has been passionate about his career with the Air force from a very young age. All those military games in back garden paid off. Jake is PJ- Pararescue Jumper for the Air Force and has currently been on duty for 6 months, when news arrives of his best friend; Chris is involved in a crash. His guilt surrounds him! He takes care of Cassie in a number of ways, his true friend and companion. What I loved about Jake was his relationship with the twins; you will never know a truer friendship like this one. It’s pure, real and ultimately loving. What I found annoying about his Jake was that he was blind of Cassie’s feeling and all I wanted to do was say: “She LOVES you”!!! Jake is a loving and caring character that you will fall in love with and you will slip a tear every -now -and –then! *Major Swoon, here*
Jake and Cassie’s relationship takes your breath away… Jake can be stubborn and blind as a bat to the feeling that Cassie portrays but the reunion of the wounded soldier *swoon* and a grieving girl… a bigger spark begins… That spark is what makes them become bullet proof; physically and emotionally.
Spoiler ALERT! – “Cass, I don’t know what I’m going to do for the rest of my life, but I know I want to do it here with you. You’ve always been the one for me. My best friend. My other Half. My passion. Will you marry me?”
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An Interview with Christi Snow
Hi Christi, Thank you for joining me today…
Who inspired you to write When the Mission Ends?
The original germ of the idea came from my son when he was around 10 years old. The prologue in Operation: Endgame is when Jake, Chris, and Cassie all became friends as kids. That scene was a common occurrence with my son and his friends when we lived at Pope AFB, NC. That group of friends was all about playing war games with full camo gear, face paint, and wooden weapons…and there was a single girl who played with this huge group of boys. As a mom, I would watch them and wonder if that would ever affect who they became as adults. Then, my imagination took over…
Why specifically ‘Romance Suspense’?
As a reader, I adore romantic suspense. I love it when hero/heroine come together over danger and I think that it’s a particularly effective means to push friends to become more. I also really adore friends-to-lover story lines and that’s definitely a huge part of all the books in this series.
How did you come up with the ideas for your debut novel Operation Endgame?
It was definitely a process. The idea started with the kids all meeting. Then it was a matter of figuring out what exactly they would all do for careers after they grew up knowing that they would all want to do something with the military.
My favourite place in the world is Lubbock, Texas where I went to college at Texas Tech University and that provided my tie-in to both the military and civilian world. All my heroines have ties to the University.
Was there anything in your novel that was based on experience (such as the military) or creative writing?
Hmm, no. LOL! Unfortunately, I haven’t had near the excitement in my life that my characters have. Actually that’s probably a good thing since they always seem to be in danger. I’m not big on personal danger.
But my husband was in the Air Force for 20 years and I started writing this series shortly after he retired. For the guys in the series, their stories come about after… After this single mission ends that changes all their lives and what they do when they get out of the military. My husband’s retirement and all our military experiences definitely played into it.
What was your favourite scene to write about and Why? (Anything that involved Jake and Cassie is mine *swoon*, specifically the proposal!)
Ooh, I love that you loved that scene. My absolute favourite scene in the novel is when Jake has to help Cassie in the bathtub after she’s been hurt. I think it shows a lot about their relationship and just the pure sweetness of it, along with the underlying sexual tension. I also love everything about the climactic scenes. There is so much emotion there for everyone…it gets to me every time I read it and I’ve read it at least 50 times. I love those scenes.
Who was your favourite character to write about? And did they have personal or similar personalities/qualities to yourself?
In this book, my favourite character is Cassie. She is so tough and resilient. I wish that I was as sexy and strong as she is. She’s just an awesome kick-ass girl!
In the series overall, my favourite character is Colton (he’s the hero in book #2, Operation: Endeavor). He’s the oldest of the three siblings and 4 years older than twins Chris and Cassie. His siblings are everything to him since they lost their parents when he was 10 and they were 6. But he always feels a bit separate from them because they have such a close relationship simply through the fact that they’re twins. Honestly, I am nothing like Colton (although my brothers may tell you that I’m bossy), but I do share that sibling relationship with him. I have twin brothers who are 4 years younger than me. I adore my brothers, but they definitely have their own special bond that I’m not a part of.
I have to ask this… Is there more in store for Jake and Cassie?
You will most definitely see more of Jake and Cassie in the next two books including their wedding which occurs in book #3, Operation: Endurance.
Describe your book in five words?
Friends + Grief + Danger = Forever Love
Your tagline… “Passion and adventure on the road to Happily Ever After. I have to admit I am loving this adventure.” Who or what lead you to this?
My graphic designer, Amanda Matthews from AM Design Studio (she designed my website and does all my covers) was working on putting together my whole ‘author branding’ and she was talking about slogans and gave me a few examples of what we could do. One of those examples inspired this one. I wanted something that said I wrote romantic suspense and I’m really happy with what we came up with.
Finally is there anything that you would like to say to your readers?
First of all, thank you so much for having me here. I had so fun answering all the questions. I hope everyone loves Jake and Cassie’s love story as much as I loved writing it. There is definitely more to come for the Robertson family. ;o)
Thank you so much for joining us today Christi.
What a fun review, Emma!!! I love how much you fell in love with these characters too!!! Thank you so much for taking the time to read and review and then I had a blast answering your fun interview questions!! THANK YOU!!! smiles….
nice interview:)
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